Cake Byte: New Cake Plates and Knives by French Bull

What is it about cake that makes us want to put it on a pedestal...and then hack it up with a knife?

Well, why we could ponder what this says about us psychologically, it's far funner to browse pretty cake accessories on the internet. And these are probably the most fashion-forward that I've come across in a long time: gorgeous new cake plates and knives by French Bull, a company headed up by the very brilliant Jackie Shapiro (who I had the great pleasure of working with in my pre-Cake Gumshoery life, when I worked at iPop!).

Cake murder has never looked so good.

Want to buy them? These cake plates will retail around $30 and the knives will retail around $15--mark your calendars, because they will make their debut in the online French Bull shop on February 15.

CLOSED: Cake Byte and Giveaway: Cupcake Plates by Michelle Miller Now Available at CakeSpy Shop!

Cake plates are awfully pretty...

...but cupcake plates are freaking adorable.

And why not put it on a pedestal? It's like a shrine to the sweetest type of experience there is, the cupcake: a treat you don't have to share with anyone else.

And now, the cutest individual cupcake plates in the world, made by the super-talented Michelle Miller, are available at CakeSpy Shop (both online and in the retail store!).

Giveaway Alert!! One lucky reader will win one of these plates, in a sweet summery light green! Just leave a comment below saying what type of cupcake you'd use first on this pretty little plate.

The giveaway will close next Friday, July 23, at noon, and the winner will be contacted shortly after. US entrants only this time, please!

Shop available colors here, or come visit the store at 415 E. Pine Street, Seattle WA 98122!

Dish It Up: Dessert Plate Services by The Green Cockatoo

The Green Cockatoo is--there's no way to put it gently--an escort service.

But their product is something that might fascinate you like it does me: they deal in vintage china and porcelain.

They found me through a search on how to make fake cupcakes--and drew me in with the reason why they were seeking the tutorial:

We are in Scotland and rent out vintage china for afternoon tea, weddings and functions. Now we can have fake cakes to show it off when we exhibit at wedding fairs - thank you!

Well, now--if that isn't a sweet and unusual business! I rather like the idea of a Cinderella-esque appearance by the fancy plates, which are then whisked away at the end of the evening, leaving only sweet memories and no dirty dishes!

For more, visit thegreencockatoo.com.

Cutting Edge: The Cricut Cake Debuts

Like, OMG! The Cricut Cake is now available! 

...ok, I'll admit it, when I first heard about it, I wasn't exactly sure why I should be excited--but then again, I wasn't sure exactly what a Cricut was. However, thanks to the power of the internet, I found out that the Cricut actually started out as a scrapbooking tool--it is a kind of printer on which you can create customized die cuts and designs on command. Actually it's kind of cool--check out a video of how it works here.

So now you have an idea of why it's such a big deal that they've made a food-safe version of the machine: what an excellent tool for cake decorating!

Here's the 411 from the HSN press release:

The Cricut Cake is an easy-to-use personal electronic cutter designed to cut gum paste, fondant and other edible materials, while providing precise, professional-looking results every time.  Accompanied by the Cricut Cake Basics cartridge, featuring hundreds of images for cake decorating, the Cricut Cake is designed to work with pre-existing Cricut cartridges as well as Provo Craft's Gypsy and Cricut Design Studio software. The wide array of shapes, fonts and designs found on compatible cartridges makes the Cricut Cake perfect for all culinary decorating occasions, including birthdays, graduations, weddings and holidays.

The machine is similar in design to the existing Cricut cutting machine; however, specific modifications have been made; stainless steel dials, trim, cutting blade and roller, to make it safe for use with food. Additionally, the keypad features a full silicone cover to protect the screen and allow for easy clean-up.

Of course, this awesome doesn't come cheap--the Cricut cake (which comes with bundle including a 12x12 food safe mat, cartridge skirt, cleaning brush, blade cleaning basket, Cake Basics cartridge, the Elegant Cake cartridge as well as icing sheets) retails for a hefty $429.95. But can a price really be put on a beautiful cake? Well, apparently yes--but you know what I mean. If you're interested, you can be updated on the initial offering at HSN.

Sweet Find: Profile on Baltimore Cake and Wedding Cottage in Maryland

Image courtesy Bmoresweet

CakeSpy Note: This is a post from Cake Gumshoe Megan, who's always on the lookout for her next sweet experience!

Tucked away in a nondescript strip mall off busy Belair Road, the Baltimore Cake and Wedding Cottage is a gem of a cake decorating supply store.

Family owned since 1977, the store is divided in half, splitting square footage between accessories a bride needs for her big day and tools and accessories her baker needs as well. The store’s website devotes itself to the wedding side of the business, but a visit to the bricks and mortar retail store reveals a different story.

The store entrance is situated at the split between the merchandise, and you’ll want to veer to the left, toward the cake supplies, though the store does seem to have fine invitations, bridal veils and really cute wedding cake toppers. 

Cake pans of all shapes and sizes line one side of a 30 foot-long free-standing shelf, and cupcake toppers and picks and other character cake toppers and decorations fill the other. On my last visit there, spring and Easter cookie cutters, cupcake liners, and enough colorful sprinkles to drag you out of your winter doldrums made up the featured items section at the front of the store.

Displays of cookie cutters for all seasons and occasions as well as more sprinkles, quins and colored sanding sugars give way to a sizeable selection of candy molds for new babies, weddings, graduations and many other holidays and occasions – these molds make individual shaped candies, candy lollipops and candies on pretzels.

The store also stocks flavorings for candy fillings and a rainbow of candy coating colors. Looking for lavender? Check. Going for mint green? Sure. Searching for sky blue? Absolutely.

You will, of course, need to box and/or display all of the yumminess you’re going to make once you leave the store with all your new goodies. The Cake Cottage offers a wide variety of plain and decorated candy boxes and bags as well as basic and covered cake boards for your sugared masterpieces.

Once you get to the checkout, you’ll how you’ve missed that the counter display ringing the register is chock full of sugar and gum paste flowers, babies, dogs, ducks, chicks, rattles, bibs, cats, and almost any other edible garnish you can think of.

If you are at a loss as to what to do with all your new supplies, check out the calendar of classes offered at the Cake Cottage. All levels of cake decorating are offered as well as individual workshops on piping borders and flowers. Adults and children alike can learn the art of candy-making, and all class participants get 10 percent off in the store for the duration of the class.

But perhaps my favorite part of the store is the women who work there. They know the inventory inside and out, have wonderful tips for using their products and they have great memories for faces too. I don’t get there very much due to living 800 miles away, but the staff remembers me every time.

Baltimore Cake and Wedding Cottage, 8716 Belair Rd., Nottingham, MD 21236; P (410) 529-0200
Open seven days a week: Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. Online at cakeandweddingcottage.com

Salty and Sweet: Bacon and Cupcake Mugs by CakeSpy

Dudes. Dudettes. Brace yourselves for the awesome: it's time to introduce the newest CakeSpy product, the bacon-and-cupcake mug!

The perfect intersection of sweet and salty, this sweet mug has the imagery to sum up some of coffee's finest complements! And in case you failed to notice, they're also wielding mini cocktail glasses--so pretty much all the bases are covered. Worried that your vegan friends will judge you? Please, don't panic: rest assured that these mugs are not only vegan, but gluten free and calorie-free to boot!

These are classic 11-ounce mugs printed in full color so you get a bright and vibrant hit of sweetness every time you reach for a cup of coffee! 

Pretty much the only mistake you could make is not buying one.

Available at cakespyshop.com. Doughnuts not included (sorry).

Rising Above: Cake Pedestals by Once Upon a Pedestal

Presentation is everything.

What exactly does that mean? Don't put your beautifully frosted and decorated cake on a paper plate, that's what it means.

A great cake pedestal can make your sweet treats even sweeter--and nobody knows this better than Devon of Once Upon a Pedestal. Though by day she is a research at UW ("U-Dub", as anyone who has ever seen Singles knows), she comes from a sweet background: her mother and grandmother both worked in the same bakery when she was growing up, and she herself worked at a bakery for five years. 

But it was reading some of the awesomest blogs out there (Bakerella, Tartelette, etc) that galvanized her action: she realized that she didn't have a creative way to display her goodies. Unable to find a display she liked in shops, she made one herself--a shop soon followed. Constructed using found and vintage objects paired in sometimes unlikely combinations, these pedestals are treasures--like snowflakes (or hand-frosted cupcakes), no two are exactly the same, but each one is precious.

Seriously, wouldn't your next batch of cupcakes--or brownies, or cookies, or even an Opera cake--look beautiful on one of these babies?

Want more? Go ahead and visit the Once Upon a Pedestal shop.

Magic in the Middle: The Sandwich Cookie Pan by Williams-Sonoma

O.M.G. alert. Really, this awesomeness doesn't really need more than an introduction. Say hello to the Sandwich Cookie Cake Pan by Williams-Sonoma.

Here's what they have to say about it:

Sandwich cookies are a childhood favorite one never outgrows. Our pair of baking pans captures this nostalgic treat as a luscious cake. Enjoy the classic pairing of chocolate and vanilla cream or try a more sophisticated combination such as espresso-fudge cake with cappuccino cream filling. The set includes two nonstick baking pans that turn out cakes embossed with "cookie." The cast aluminum pans spread heat evenly for uniform baking. Our exclusive ceramic-reinforced Goldtouch™ coating ensures easy release and cleanup. Hand wash. 9" diam. Set of two pans. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive.

Buy it--now!--at williams-sonoma.com. P.S. If you already knew about this pan, why didn't you tell me about it?

Cake Byte: Sweet New Holiday Stamps by Taylored Expressions!

Still in a cuteness frenzy over the 2009 CakeSpy holiday card collection which made its debut the other day? Well, brace yourselves, because here comes yet more holiday sweetness: the new CakeSpy Holiday Rubber Stamps for Taylored Expressions!

Perfect for making your own holiday cards (the card shown at the top of the post was made using these stamps!) or a wonderful gift for your favorite crafty cupcake, this Holiday Wonder set retails for $21.95 and comes nicely packaged with a beautiful color index sheet. You can also find great project ideas on the Taylored Expressions blog.

This set, along with many other sweet stamps and accessories, can be purchased at tayloredexpressions.com.

Cake Byte: The 2009 CakeSpy Holiday Card Collection!

Oh, hello. Meet the 2009 CakeSpy holiday card collection!

Whether you've been naughty or nice, there's some sugar and spice for everyone in this sweet suite of stationery, which is ready to ship starting October 10.

Here are the new designs:

Inner Greeting: "Season's Sweetings"

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

Inner Greeting: "Sweet holiday wishes"

Inner Greeting: "Hope your holidays are an absolute scream"

Plus the cupcake and robot card pictured top.

The cards are available in boxes of 10 assorted cards and envelopes, or you can buy 10-packs full of just one style (if you'd like all one style, simply purchase the assorted pack and specify which style you'd like ten of in your payment "notes").

They can be purchased at cakespyshop.com.